Second Chances

Fred was sleeping on floors of his friends’ houses, in and out of jail and getting into fights brought on by his habits. He realized he was running out of places to lay his head when he was waking up on porches still drunk from the night before. What he needed was a second chance.

After his mother passed away he spent one last year on the streets. Knowing it was time for a change, Fred went to the Salvation Army in Flint, Michigan, to join their recovery program.

“It took me thirty-eight years to realize the alcohol and drugs were messing me up,” Fred recalls.

While in the program, his uncle passed away. Devastated by another loss, Fred was drawn back to the streets. He sought guidance from a counselor at the Salvation Army, who told Fred about his own experience of God’s grace at the Muncie Mission.

Fred joined the recovery program at the Muncie Mission and opened up to others about his addiction. He let Christ fill the voids in his life, and soon he saw himself standing with those graduating the recovery program.

“Christ must be at the center of your life. He’s number one. But if you’re not trying to open up, it’s not gonna work for you,” Fred explains. Honestly facing his addiction and forgiving himself and others took him from brokenness and suffering to hope.

Fred didn’t stop with graduation. He realized his recovery would be an ongoing walk. He joined the transitional living program, becoming a mentor to those around him. Fred ushers at his church and is employed full-time as a supervisor in the Mission’s New Life Center.

As Fred puts it, everything at the Mission gets a second chance. Every person and everything. Fred thanks you for giving him a second chance.